At this time of year, lots of folks feel the urge to start spring cleaning — refreshing and clearing out their home to greet the new season. However, just when the weather is (hopefully) getting nicer, you may feel trapped indoors due to all the tasks you have to take care of. How can you manage to get your spring cleaning done while staying serene?

Here are 13 suggestions.

Break the job down. It’s all too easy to lump together three different categories — actual washing and scrubbing, decluttering, and seasonal home maintenance – under the label “spring cleaning.” However, this can make the work ahead of you feel overwhelming.

Develop a realistic spring cleaning plan for your living situation and needs. If you tend to get discouraged easily by the state of your housekeeping, look for areas of your home that you feel comfortable with and decide what works.

Prioritize projects that will keep your family safe. A good place to start is by checking your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. (And, please, if you do…………… continues on Care2.com

Dust the baseboards. Check! Tackle the pantry. Check! And the bookshelves, and the — achoo! Spring cleaning stirring up allergens?

It’s a double-edged sword. While tidy surfaces bring relief, cleaning them releases allergens into the air. How do you overcome this dilemma? Follow these tips from the pros.

1. Get to the root of the problemKnow your triggers and limits. Ear, nose and throat surgeon and board certified otolaryngologist Maureen Mulcahy of highly rated Lake Grove ENT in Lake Oswego, Ore., advises patients to get tested to identify specific allergens. “Then they can have a more targeted approach to cleaning,” she says.

2. Spring for HEPA filtersOnly sweep with a vacuum that contains a HEPA filter. And preferably someone who doesn’t suffer from allergies should take on the chore. But if it can’t be avoided, Mulcahy recommends you wear a mask. John Alzubi, owner of Smart Choice Cleaning in Springfield, Va., adds that wearing goggles helps, too.

3. Seek out water sourcesAny freestanding water in the home presents a mold hazard. “Spring cleaning is a good time to look at any potential water source in your house,” Mulcahy says. “If you have a leaky faucet or pipes that need better sealing, take care of that.”

Stocking up on all kinds of cleaners can give you sticker shock at the grocery store checkout. But you can make your house sparkle for less by relying on some homespun cleaning tricks that have stood the test of time. Here are 10 ways to save money as you do your chores plus some affordable cleaning products from Consumer Reports’ tests.

Go halfsies. When you buy a box of sponges or scouring pads, cut them all in half. Presto! You’ve automatically slashed your costs by 50 percent. The same trick also works for dryer sheets.

Banish dust with diapers. Old diapers make great dust cloths that won’t scratch surfaces. Our experts prefer diapers with an 8-ply thickness in the center and 4-ply on the sides. Fold the diaper in thirds so that it fits nicely in your hand. When one side gets dirty, refold to expose a clean surface. Diapers are soft and lint-free, and they can be reused again and again.

Drew Barrymore looks like she got a great workout in as she leaves the Tracy Anderson gym on Saturday morning (March 14) in West Hollywood, Calif.

The 40-year-old actress recently opened up about cleaning out her closet.

“My closet seemed to be clean. But, no longer eclectic or wild enough. It actually seemed like I had no clothes,” Drew wrote for Refinery29. “It got too sparse! I was sad. Had I gone too far? I was missing my old funky self and felt like I had become some conservative, boring woman — but not even in a cool, J.Crew way. I was more like, I don’t know…just not me.”

“But, then something happened. There was such a noticeable lack of chaos that I could actually start playing clothes Jenga in my mind before I reached the closet. This…………… continues on Just Jared

GRAND FORKS – With the calendar flipping to spring, many will take part in the annual ritual of spring cleaning.

For many, that could be a fruitful effort, while others struggle to thoroughly clean their places.

Katie Stauss, president of Maid Simple, a cleaning service in Grand Forks, said spring is in fact the busiest time of year for her company, but spring cleaning doesn’t have to be as difficult as many make it out to be.

Stauss said knowing how to properly approach cleaning the house can make all of the difference.

She said knowing some of the most commonly missed places are higher up and harder to reach, such as the tops of cabinets, the top of window frames and doors and the top of refrigerators.

By knowing how to prepare and what to look for, Stauss said spring cleaning even can be enjoyable for some.

She offered five tips for how to be more prepared for readers’ upcoming spring cleaning:

Get supplies ready

The first step in going through a full-on spring cleaning is to get the supplies out and ready, Stauss said.

Much like preparing a house for painting by putting up painter’s tape and clearing the room, Stauss said she suggests people prep before going into the cleaning.

All of the cleaning supplies should be bought ahead of time and be ready to go when the clea…………… continues on INFORUM

Spring is in the air, and as you start to clean out your closets and homes, you may also want to do some spring cleaning on your smartphone.

Mark Giga with AT&T is offering some tips on how to clear your device of clutter.

Today’s connected devices serve as virtual closets, storing emails, photos, documents and apps. By keeping your technology tidy, you can help improve battery life and the performance of your phone. Here are some spring-cleaning tips for a spic and span smartphone:

1. Delete unused apps: Even though you may not be actively using an application, it can still run along with other apps. This can silently drain the battery. Close or quit those unused apps, and if you no longer use the apps, delete them. Unused apps can clutter your screen and distract you from discovering what you need. Keep your screen clean and create folders to group similar apps.

2. Polish your passwords: These days, our smartphones not only pose as communication devices, they also play the roles of banker, shopper and business partner. Nothing can prepare you for another successful season like password protecting your phone and resetting your profile passwords. Wipe away your…………… continues on KSTP.com

With the calendar flipping to spring, many will take part in the annual ritual of spring cleaning.

For many, that could be fruitful effort, while others struggle to thoroughly clean their places.

Katie Stauss, president of Maid Simple, a cleaning service in Grand Forks, said spring is in fact the busiest time of year for her company, but spring cleaning doesn’t have to be as difficult as many make it out to be.

Stauss said knowing how to properly approach cleaning the house can make all of the difference.

She said knowing some of the most commonly missed places are higher up and harder to reach, such as the tops of cabinets, the top of window frames and doors and the top of refrigerators.

By knowing how to prepare and what to look for, Stauss said spring cleaning even can be enjoyable for some.

She offered five tips for how to be more prepared for readers’ upcoming spring cleaning:

Get supplies ready

The first step in going through a full-on spring cleaning is to get the supplies out and ready, Stauss said.

Much like preparing a house for painting by putting up painter’s tape and clearing the room, Stauss said she suggests people prep befor…………… continues on Grand Forks Herald

(StatePoint) — It’s time to prep your home’s outdoor spaces for the season ahead. From the yard to the garage to the deck, getting these areas tidy is all part of a thorough spring clean.

Here are some tips to make the process faster and easier.

De-Clutter Your Workspace

Your shed, your garage, your toolbox — it’s time to take stock of what you’re storing in these key areas. Broken tools, piles of junk — these are items that will get in your way and slow you down all season long. So before you get to the nitty gritty of your outdoor spring clean, take the time to organize your workspace.

Throw out what is junk, donate what you aren’t using, and organize the rest into categories. Vertical storage can save crucial room, so install tall shelves and use walls and the ceiling to install organizational systems. Now is also a great opportunity to perform routine maintenance on your lawn equipment and tools to improve their efficiency.

Identify Multitasking Tools

Check out innovations on old tools that can make your versatile workload easier. For example, you can upgrade your conventional pressure washer for a newer model with more diverse functionality. For example, Briggs & Stratton’s new POWERflow+ Pressure Washer technology has one pump with two separate cleaning modes — high pressure and high…………… continues on Troy Daily News

Organizations step up to house, staff homeless day shelter in Federal WayNews from Federal Way Mirror:

As plans come together for a potential new day shelter in Federal Way, some community partners have stepped up to house and staff the shelter.

The biggest initial challenge will be finding a building.

Greg Sigrist, a clinical manager for housing services at Valley Cities in Federal Way, said the organization’s lease at its current location will soon expire.

Valley Cities CEO Ken Taylor “has been very serious” about finding a building in Federal Way to purchase and has committed to finding a space big enough to house both Valley Cities and the day shelter, Sigrist said.

“So that puts right there a lot of services [together] — mental health, substance abuse, we have a very strong veterans’ program,” Sigrist said. “So it’s going to be an outstanding partnership. This is going to be a very good thing for Federal Way. I was really pleased to hear that Ken Taylor has made this commitment.”

In addition, Catholic Community Services, which runs the Reach Out organization in Federal Way, has expressed interest in staffing the shelter, said Rev. Dr. James Kabal-Komoto, minister of Saltwater Church in Des Moines and a member of Soun…………… continues on Federal Way Mirror

Keeping Kids Fit: Do you know what can poison your child?News from MiamiHerald.com:

When parents think about poisoning, they usually think of chemicals. While the Florida Poison Control Center – Miami at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital certainly sees cases of children getting into chemicals, they are actually not the most common cause of pediatric poisoning. In honor of National Poison Prevention Week, March 15-21, here is a quick tour of your home to identify all of the potential poison hazards that could hurt your kids.

Let’s start with the yard. If you have small children or pets, certain plants can be dangerous. Common species like oleander, angel’s trumpet and even wild mushrooms can cause serious symptoms if nibbled. Houseplants such as pothos or peace lily trigger painful burning of the lips and tongue. Are there caterpillars or spiders in the grass? Bites and stings bring pain, swelling and even allergic reactions. If you have a shed or outdoor storage area, make sure pool and lawn care chemicals are out of reach.

Open the front door and come inside. How do your guests secure their purses and coats? Visitors can unknowingly bring powerful medications in pockets or handbags into your home. A grandparent’s medication for blood pressure or blood sugar can be deadly with a single dose. Even products like eye drops or nasal sprays can be toxic if tasted.

A perfect Saturday to get outside – and of course you want to be productive with your weekend – so why not start that spring cleaning!

Many people spent the day outside getting ready for those spring time projects like spending the day in the garden, getting the lawn mower out and preparing for those home improvement projects.

The Do It Center says that March is the perfect time to start getting ready and they have seen many customers coming in with the warmer weather.

“Usually you see the homeowners come on the weekend the construction workers I’ll get all week long but the homeowners Saturday’s Sunday’s that’s when they do their work outside whether they need the equipment or any kind of mulches or any kind of home improvements,” says Joe Rimpley, Sales Manager.

Some tips for your spring cleaning:

1. The first spring cleaning tip is to make a list of what you want to accomplish2. Another tip for spring cleaning is to make sure you use the right cleaners for the job.3. Get rid of or re-purpose things you don’t need or want – because someone else might need it!4. M…………… continues on knopnews2

One of the most common pain points for sellers is the last-minute showing. It’s bad enough that they have to ensure that they’re ready to vacate their home at a potential buyer’s whim. The need to keep their living space clean at pretty much all times is also a stressor.

Houselogic compiled these maintenance tips to help you and your clients keep a home cleaner for longer periods at a stretch.

Get the humidity right to help banish dust. Too much moisture in the air an ideal environment for dust mites, while an overly-dry space causes static electricity (which attracts dust and makes it harder to remove). The sweet spot is a humidity level between 40 and 50 percent.

Keep soap scum off glass surfaces using rain repellant. After cleaning the bathroom, coat glass shower doors and walls with a rain-repellant product made for car windshields. It’ll create an invisible barrier that causes water, oils, and soap suds to bead and roll off.

Use a countertop sealer to repel stains. Liquids such as red wine, juice or soy sauce can easily stain porous materials, but spills on well-sealed granite and marble will bead instead of getting absorbed. Most natural stone countertops are sealed when installed, but re-applying sealer twice a year can make them much easier to clean. To see if you need a fresh coat, pour a tiny bit of water on the ston…………… continues on NorthJersey.com